Teen Meets Biological Parents After Alleged Abductor Raised Her as Her Own Since 1998

by Maya Chung10:32 AM EST, January 15, 2017

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Kamiyah Mobley, whose name has since been changed to Alexis Manigo, finally had a joyful reunion with her biological parents – 18 years after she was abducted from a Florida hospital just eight hours after birth.

Her parents, Shanara Mobley and Craig Aiken, hoped that they would one day find their daughter who police said was allegedly abducted by Gloria Williams, 51, after she posed as a nurse and walked out of Jacksonville’s University Medical Center on July 10, 1998.

Manigo, 18, was identified earlier this week through a DNA test after two leads led police to South Carolina where she was living with Williams, according to police.

Though Manigo had a different name, detectives learned that her identity was established with fraudulent documents and they collected a DNA sample to be tested against the missing newborn’s DNA available at the hospital, according to reports.

Aiken told reporters that the meeting was the best day of his life.

“It was a beautiful, beautiful day. We are so happy. I hope the world is rejoicing with us,” Aiken said.

The reunion took place at the Walterboro, South Carolina, police station on Saturday. Williams is behind bars at the same station facing charges of kidnapping and waiting to be extradited back to Florida.

Aiken also said that they reunion wasn’t spent discussing the details of the alleged kidnapping but getting to know Manigo.

“'We laughed, we chatted, we didn't allow any negative thoughts. We didn't talk about the kidnapping,' Aiken told the DailyMail. “'It's going to be hard for her to turn this into a positive."

The teen also had an emotional moment with her alleged abuctor on Friday in court.

Williams reportedly blew a kiss to Manigo in court on Friday and the teen responded with “I love you, Mom” after the pair were allowed to spend a few moments together through a mesh screen in the Colleton County Jail in South Carolina, according to News4Jax.

"She's got very mixed emotions about the woman who raised her. But we are going to be there for her, this is just the start of a wonderful future," Aiken said.